Research Social Scientist
Athens, GA

Cassandra is a research social scientist with the Southern Research Station, U.S. Forest Service in Athens, GA.  Her research interests involve environmental perception and human interaction with the natural environment, with a focus on racial and ethnic minorities and immigrant populations.  Environmental equity in resource allocation and participation are also focal points.  Current research projects include:

1. Environmental Justice: a collaborative project with University of Georgia human geographers, climatologists, and Law faculty examining community exposure to industrial sitings in Gainesville, GA.
2. Urban Green Space Access and Interaction: an examination of green space access and interaction for Latino immigrants in Gainesville, GA.
3. Black Belt Landowners: a five state assessment of private landowner awareness and knowledge of wildfire mitigation policies, in collaboration with Texas A&M, Clemson University, and the University of Florida.
4. Sense of Place Response to Landscape Change in the Florida Panhandle: an interdisciplinary project with Auburn University examining social and ecological responses to landscape change in the Florida Panhandle
   

Degrees

PhD. - Sociology (social psychology and sociology of culture), University of Georgia, 2001
M.A. - Sociology, University of Georgia, 1995
B.B.A. -  Marketing (1987) and Accounting (1989), University of Georgia

Honors and Awards

1998-99 Alexander von Humboldt Foundation German Bundeskanzler (Federal Chancellor) Fellow.
1997 German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Sur Place Grant for Research in Berlin, Germany.
1993 DAAD Summer Scholarship for German Studies, Erfurt, Germany.

Curriculum Vitae